


Cough It Out

by AsilandWriting



Category: Ghost Boys (Webcomic)
Genre: Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Sickfic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-21
Updated: 2019-06-21
Packaged: 2020-05-15 21:24:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,747
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19304116
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AsilandWriting/pseuds/AsilandWriting
Summary: Matt gets sick and Lukas is there to worry about him





	Cough It Out

Lukas was scared for Matthew.

The most important word in that sentence was for, because apparently every single person in the world wanted to change that little word into “of”.

Wherever Lukas went, no matter who he asked, everybody thought Matt was scary. Too pale and too lanky, too smart and too reclusive, too weird and too plain unnormal to NOT strike peoples hearts with unease. That he was for whatever reason a stranger that should never have come across the village, seemingly threatening Pappelcreek with his mere presence. No one had a reason to hate him, but no one had a reason to like him either apparently, someone who had settled in and was not welcome in any sense of the word. It seemed as if every single villager took his attitude as a misplacement, his presence worth nothing but a nervous glance, each of them wondering when he would strike with whatever they assumed was his end goal. Even the few that tolerated Matthew kept their distance, as if something was sticking to him, something unidentifiable that they couldn’t ignore or accept. It was as if his pure existence was poisoning the surrounding area with suspicion whenever he left his safe four library walls.

Lukas was getting sick and tired of those scaredy-cats.

It hit far too close to home.

That is why he wasn’t scared of Matt; he had never been and will never be, but he was scared for him.

And how could he not be scared, when the teenager in question (his dad had told him he was still a teenager and not a young adult, because an adult knows how to take care of themselves while Matt was withering away without a helping hand to guide him) was literally coughing his lungs out right in front of him?

Lukas had been standing there for at least 15 minutes, checking the clock in the hallway from the corner of his eyes, gripping the doorframe to the bathroom with shaky hands as he watched his best friend struggle for air. He had led him into the room in the first place, awoken by breathless intakes of oxygen and hissed murmurs from the room opposite his hallway. It had taken everything out of the 13-year-old to rouse Matt out of bed, who was resembling more a sack of potatoes than a functioning human, and push him onto his feet. He had pretty much bullied him into the next room, shoving and coaxing and begging him to move, telling him to please clear his throat.

Now folded together into himself, Matthew hacked, right hand clamped over his mouth and trying to stifle the sound of it, failing miserably. His lungs stuttered from the phlegm that was filling them, his hair damp from sweat, drops running down his temple and down his chin. Lukas could only watch helplessly as Matt’s body convulsed, his other hand gripping the sink he was leaning over as his mouth opened sharply to inhale, only to cough louder, more vigorously. It looked like Matt was trying to throw up whatever was in him, but lungs didn’t work like stomachs, so all he was doing was inhale ragged breaths, spitting balls of yellow green slime into the drain as pay off. The longer he stood there, shoulders hunched and shacking wobbly on his feet, the less Lukas could stand to watch him.

Matt was a strong person.

He held himself high but humble. Was snarky and a jerk at times, but also helpful and hard working. He didn’t let himself fall, always stood up again, whatever was thrown at him, he somehow would make it his own. People must be scared of exactly that fact, because Matt seems in every situation always so untouchable, so out of reach, you could not hurt him in any way.

He was so sure of himself, that he made everybody else unsure of themselves.

But right now?

Lukas saw him for who he was. He had always known that Matt was a jokester with way too much heart. Someone who was trying to do good and be useful. Someone who just wanted to please the people around him and not be a burden. Saw how weak he could become at times, when things were becoming too much, too fast.

Once again, it hit him too close to home, a bitter taste making its home on his tongue.

Matt was a strong person for sure, but even strong people become weak and that thought made him shake, his chest clenching at the thought.

He wasn’t only scared for him, Lukas realized; he was absolutely terrified.

So, when it looked like as if Matt had finally gotten a blessed break of losing every semi-liquid fluid his body could hold, he tip-toed closer, settling a hand on Matts bare back. His shirt had been discarded somewhere in the corner while he had tried to get himself together, Lukas rubbing circles between his shoulder blades, as the blonde shuddered out a hesitant sigh.

“Do you feel better now?”

The answer he got was a low grunt and Matt leaned forward to press his head against the mirror on the wall, his breath clouding it with every puff he let out. Lukas trailed the way the sweat ran down Matt’s neck, down his elbows, droplets dripping into the sink at a speed that made him wonder if he was dehydrating, wondering if he should reach out and take the toothbrush glass. He should fill it with water, tip it into Matt, who would continuously refuse any help he was given even when Lukas insisted.

He had done that the whole week through, and he still didn’t seem to learn or to accept what he was given. No matter what Lukas tried or said, it was bordering on frustrating.

“Peachy, feel great. The sink is my witness, I coughed my illness out.”

“Mom said it’s good that you started coughing, because if you hadn’t, your lungs would have gotten messed up even more.”

“I messed up your sink.”

“I mean, yeah,” Lukas nodded, still eyeing the salty water that was joining the green blob that was inching its way towards the drain slowly but steadily, only then to flip the tab to let the water run its course and fasten the process, “But not really.”

For a moment it looked like Matt was about to give another snarky remark, his heavy-lidded eyes watching the slime turning clear and vanishing behind the silver button, but it was cut short by his need to hold his throat. As he tried to clear it, a raspy sound instead of a sentence left his mouth and Lukas cringed in sympathy, closing the tab to distract himself. Then Matt blinked tiredly into his own reflection, the boy beside him wondering what his friend was seeing, before he joined him in his observations.

“Man,” Lukas noted, “We look like garbage.”

The blonde couldn’t even smile, just twitch the corner of his mouth for a second, before he turned his head, Lukas snapping his eyes from the fake face to the real one. He tried to make out what grimace he was making, only to notice the other’s shoulders shaking in a silent inhale, the child frowning.

“I literally just told you, you should cough,” he chided, starting to clap Matthew’s back to encourage him, “You have to cough. Mom said you have to.”

“I know.”

“Then do it, mom will get angry otherwise. Or even worse, get all disappointed. That’s much worse. Mom’s should never get disappointed.”

“That is true,” Matt agreed, only then to heave again, Lukas stepping back as Matt spit another mouthful out of his system, “She would be disappointed.”

Wiping his brow, Lukas nodded, twiddling his fingers together as Matt breathed out through his clogged nose.

“But she’s not my mom.”

Lukas flinched, could only watch as Matt started to straighten himself, the taller one puffing his chest out and holding his breath in a try to not tickle his throat for the umpteenth time. He looked like death warmed up, Lukas thought, a thought that made his insides squirm in nausea, before he watched him lean backwards. Letting go of the sink, Matt’s loosened iron grip turning his white knuckles back into the soft pastel pink they were supposed to be, Lukas reaching for them in the same heartbeat.

He hadn’t even thought about it really, was just glad that Matt’s hand was cold to the touch, like it was supposed to be.

For a moment the air seemed fragile however as Matt peered down to where they connected, staring at him with, what he guessed was, an exhausted as well as confused look. Lukas wanted Matt to feel comfortable, wanted him to be better, but he wasn’t doing himself any favors as he looked up and involuntarily frowned at his friend. It almost felt like they were holding a staring contest, Matt waiting on Lukas to let him go, while Lukas waited on Matt to continue his train of thought, add another sentence to the last, to make him understand what he meant.

He clamped his hand tighter around Matt’s when nothing came, inwardly glad that it was, even if a bit clammy, not warm. Just regular cold hands, the ones Lukas was used to, ones that he had memorized at this point and were typically Matt.

“Let’s just lay down again.”

Lukas nodded numbly as he felt Matt’s arm move away from his grasp (he panicked for a moment, trying to reach for it only then to get shushed softly, his heart beating out of his chest) and onto his shoulder instead, the weight settling there comfortingly. Following Matt’s lead, Lukas turned into his walking cane, one arm slung around his torso to keep him steady, as they slowly staggered back to the guest room.

(Honestly, it had been Matt’s room months beforehand. Whenever he said guestroom it sounded like a lie to him, knowing the moment Matt had set foot there to sleep that it was his. When he had been laid down there the first night 2 weeks ago, where his fever had rendered him speechless and unmoving, it had become official. Lukas’ dad had to carry him the whole flight of stairs, while his mother had checked his temperature, made him drink tea and medicine he couldn’t keep down no matter what she tried. Lukas had only been able to watch from the doorway then, too, Matt mumbling and cringing at every touch and change, weak and empty and oh God, Lukas really had thought he would die in that bed that night. Right then when his grandpa’s room had turned into a guest room, followed by being Matt’s room, it would have transformed into another death-bed and he had cried harder than he should have that night, because nothing had happened, and everything had been fine. It was fine, all is fine.)

On one hand he was glad that Matt had decided to take his parents up on the offer to use it in the first place, but it rubbed him the wrong way to have him not lying beside him, one turn of his body away to glance down at the spare mattress. He was the one who had insisted after all for him to lay in an actual bed and not just on the ground, the danger of Lukas rolling out of bed and onto him in the morning minimized to 0 percent. The whole last year Matt had always preferred to lay beside him when he could, after their ghost hunts and late evenings, not using more space than he had to, making sure to be curled up. So, it was a big step for him to take up a whole room, use what he for sure felt as too much.

But to hear him wheeze for breath, the sound muffled through two walls? That was harrowing, Lukas could have helped him sooner, could have moved him faster and not let his lung fester with the gross coat it was trying to get rid of. 

Matt either was incredibly calculating, or he was just exactly as unlucky as Lukas always had imagined.

Finally reaching the bed, blanket tussled and pillow soaked through, Lukas let Matt sit down, making sure he would keep sitting after he let him go, letting him lean against the wall. Then he pulled the pillow off the bed and tucked the blanket around Matt, before he pretty much sprinted into his own room, took his sleeping gear, pulled the spare mattress out from under his bed and pushed it all into Matt’s room.

There he settled on making his bed, throwing the extra pillows onto Matt’s, while the blonde just watched him with a blank look, trying to figure out what Lukas was doing.

“What are you doing?” he then finally voiced as Lukas spread his covers, blinking his eyes heavily.

“I’ll sleep here tonight, is all.”

“But your bed is right there.”

He pointed across the room, towards the hallway and Lukas nodded.

“Yeah, it’s not close enough.”

“I could have just come over to your room.”

“I rather have you not complaining that I fell on you again during the night.”

“You really need to stop moving so much while sleeping.”

Lukas huffed amused, before he shook his head: “Until then I’ll just be the one on the ground.” Then he stood up and showed off his work. “See, done in no time, was no problem at all.”

Matt tilted his head in what Lukas assumed was a questioning gesture at first, only waiting for him to make a pun, to throw some random saying in a language he wouldn’t get anyway, only then to realize that he was actually tilting over, jumping into action and easing him into the mattress. When he had put his head down, making sure that the blanket would keep him warm, Matt sighed softly, relief flooding Lukas as his friend seemingly relaxed for the first time through the whole ordeal.

“Thanks,” Matt then managed to rasp out, “It did do good to cough.”

“Told you so.”

Once again Lukas could only stand as he observed Matt, who laid there with his eyes staring at the ceiling with a far away look. He looked tired, not only from the fever or from the sleepless nights. His eyebags were getting darker, his hair was turning white in patches and his skin glowed white thanks to the moon shining in through the window. The look he had, it was a look that Lukas had seen before, way too many times honestly. Like Matt was already an old soul that just wanted to finally leave and go sleep, truly sleep, and Lukas gulped heavily, blue eyes pinning him down for it.

“You going to sleep, too?”

Lukas hesitated, not wanting to pry, knowing he would be shut down immediately like all the other times. As soon as he asked, dug too deep, he was sure to get backlashed, and he knew Matt didn’t want to keep playing the back and forth, was getting too tired for it. But Lukas had too many questions on his mind all the time, clogging his way of thinking and just wanting answers to be presented, so he could analyze them. He knew he could break a person with his questioning, knew how relentless he could be if he really wanted something out of a person. That is why he bit his tongue as he tried to find a way around it, tried to find a wording that would neither take as a punch, a battle cry to fight for dominance in this conversation.

“If you want, you can borrow my mom.”

Both blinked at that statement, Matt out of sleepy confusion and Lukas out of startled surprise over his own mouth for once not betraying him.

It seemed as if the air shifted, the heavy weight of sickness and worry lifting over their heads and for a moment Matt looked awake again, a glint in his eyes sparkling into life, Lukas clinging to it with every fiber of his being.

“I mean it!” he rushed to say, trying to keep Matt’s attention, “My parents are really good parents, we both know that. Sure, she isn’t… your mom, I don’t know what is with your mom or what she would do or think or stuff, because you never talk about her or your dad or whatever you did before you came to Pappelcreek, but my mom, she’s great, we know that and she IS a mom. And you can borrow her.”

Matt seemed to slowly register the words, as fast as they bubbled out of Lukas mouth it seemed to be a difficult feat, seeping into his being as he lifted himself half-way, opening his mouth. He seemed speechless, it had been happening a lot lately Lukas noted, not able to form words and was only saved by his own cough that startled him out of his stupor. Lukas wanted to clap his back again, to help out, but he knew his true intentions had flooded out of his words as well, knowing that Matt had picked up the hidden questions in them after all and was unsure if he even wanted his help right now.

As the cough slowed, he could see Matt mull the words over, only then to jump as he turned his head back to him with a snap. It was as if he was staring right through him though, as if he was seeing something in him, or behind him, above or underneath, on a plain Lukas couldn’t understand and had no knowledge of. For a second, he had the need to inspect himself, trying to find the fault or disturbance Matt was making out, petting his chest in unsureness, but he let them fall as the other chuckled breathlessly.

“You know, I might not give them back anymore. That could happen.”

The way his eyes crinkled as he let his eyes wander down made Lukas huff in parts relief and parts annoyance, putting his hands on his hips, before he shook his head.

“Well, borrow might have been the wrong word after all…”

“You tried your best Lu, glad to see that you turned thoughtful of your wording.”

“How about share?”

That seemed to be the ticket as Matt’s mouth finally turned into an honest, real smirk, the kind that screamed mischievousness, perfectly fit on Matt’s face. Lukas had missed it so much, it had been too long, way too long, since he had seen it and he felt the boulder on his shoulders shatter into dust as Matt laid down, his face split into a grin too wide to not hurt, wheezing on his breath.

“Share is a very good word.”

Lukas couldn’t help himself as he walked all over his work, stepping on the mattress he had prepared and shoving the covers out of their place as he pulled himself up Matt’s bed. From there he sat at the edge and stretched his left leg out so he could kick his own blanket up into his arms, so he could wrap it around himself. As soon as he had successfully turned himself into a burrito, he kneeled beside Matt’s head, peering down at him with wide eyes.

“I mean it,” he then repeated, tugging the corners of his blanket closer to his chest, trying to show his honesty in his posture, to make sure Matt didn’t misunderstand him, “We can share my parents, they wouldn’t mind either, for sure.”

“You already don’t have them around enough, it’s hard sharing something you lack.”

Lukas sat back on his haunches at that, biting his lips, before he searched for Matt’s hand once more under the pile of warmth he had created on top of him. When he found it, he pressed his thumb over his knuckles, noticing again that it was cold, always ice cold when he was awake, reassuring him. Matt seemed to snort as it was pulled out of his comfy surroundings, letting out a small “hey” while Lukas held it between his own two, marveling at how thin they were, boney and fragile in contrast to his chubby ones.

“They might not have a lot of time,” he conceded then, squeezing the hand that started to grasp back, “But they try. And I try. And you try. And honestly, I want to share with you.”

Lukas smiled sheepishly then, testing the waters, as he added carefully: “It’s better to have a tiny bit of something, then nothing at all, right?”

At that Matt turned incredibly quiet, his shallow breath turning even more breathless as he bored with his eyes through Lukas ones, as if to decipher the emotion he was presented with. Lukas couldn’t help himself as he smiled back in reassurance, hoping he could ease Matt’s thoughts.

And seemingly his smile had been enough, because Matt nodded after a moment, the tiniest head movement visible, before he moved his arm upward, making room for Lukas. The boy immediately understood the invitation and laid down, pretty much nuzzling his head under Matt’s chin, draping his arm around his stomach, before he sighed out, content with the arrangement. Matt thought so, too, as he relaxed under him and nodded once more, tickling his own chin with black hair, laughing wheezily to himself.

“Yeah, you’re right” he then whispered as he petted Lukas head with one hand, with the other his arm, “I’d love to share your parents. Thank you.”

“Cool,” was all he could respond, before he yawned and pressed his head down to get more comfortable.

“Cool,” Matthew repeated with an amused huff, only then to breath out another raspy breath, “Goodnight, Lu.”

Lukas could hear the other being tugged under, breath shallow and deep and he squeezed him around the middle, trying to convey a response without actually using words, being too preoccupied with another yawning session. He took his time with settling down, searching Matt’s hand once more to hold it close, just enjoying the moment of quiet they were given. Then finally heavy, sleepy silence settled over them, Lukas trying to hold on to make sure Matt was breathing, hoping his lungs would clear at some point before he closed his eyes and let himself be lulled to sleep.


End file.
